Chapter 606 - 0606: Volunteer 4_1
It took Zheng Xuefeng most of the morning to reluctantly arrange for Wang Baozhu and her three children. He had the cooking team prepare a meal specifically for them, then rushed off to find the commander and Ye Zhengjun. After hearing the situation, they were left baffered.
They had never heard of someone like Wang Baozhu before.
"So she’s really ..." Ye Zhengjun didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
Zheng Xuefeng picked up his cup, which had a small chip in it from when Ye Zhengjun had dropped it, and gulped the half-cup of water. "She’s incredibly difficult to deal with. Now, I have nothing but admiration for Qingxue. She did well to fight back. Half of the day, I’ve been hating myself for not giving Wang Baozhu and her children a beating. If it weren’t for Zhu Rong, I would have acted already.", he said.
The commanding officer was surprised. "Even you, who is known for being an exceptionally decent person, are contemplating this?" Zheng Xuefeng was known throughout the unit for his pleasant demeanor and cordiality, and no one had ever seen him lose his temper before.
"There is more to it than can be put into words," Zheng Xuefeng said with a bitter smile.
Ye Zhengjun frowned and said, "What a bother! My wife will join me in a few days and with such neighbors, how will we live? Have to be cautious day and night? It’s not so much the fear of thieves stealing as it is them eyeing your stuff. Qingxue couldn’t even keep her clothes safe from Wang Baozhu, let alone others’ possessions. My wife doesn’t have many hobbies, but now that conditions have improved, she likes to dress up."
Though Ye Zhengjun referred to his wife as his ’old partner’, the truth was that he was under fifty and his wife in her early forties. However, they had been married for over thirty years and casually referred to each other as such.
Zheng Xuefeng spread his hands to indicate that he was at a loss.
There was a dilemma: Should they keep Wang Baozhu and her children, and risk spoiling everyone else’s lives, or send them away? Zhu Rong held rank now, and Wang Baozhu and her children were technically eligible to accompany him as part of the military family. They even had approved applications to this effect. How would Zhu Rong react if they were turned away? And how would the rest of the soldiers feel? There were no precedent or rules in place to turn away shameless military families.